Front feed carriage for accounting machines



I 5 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. A. ANDERSON FRONT FEEDCARRIAGE FOR ACCOUNTING MACHINES INVENTOR WALTER A ANDERSON ATTORNEY May 19, 1953 Filed Dec. 22, i949 May ,19, 1953 w. A. ANDERSON FRONT FEED CARRIAGE FOR ACCOUNTING MACHINES 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 22, 1949 Ill/VENT? I By WALTER A. ANDERSWV y 1953 w. A. ANDERSON 2,639,019

FRONT FEED CARRIAGE FOR ACCOUNTING MACHINES Filed Dec. 22, 1949 s Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented May 19, 1953 I FRONT FEED CARRIAGE FOR ACCOUNTING MACHINES Walter A. Anderson, Bridgeport, Conn., assignor to Underwood Corporation, New York, N. Y., a

corporation of Delaware Application December 22, 1949, Serial No. 134,537

Claims.

This invention relates to paper holding means for accounting machines, and particularly to means for holding sheets fed from the frontof the platen.

In some types of accounting it is necessary to print several horizontal lines of entries on one or more sheets while only one line is required on one or more other sheets. The customary way to perform line spacing for work of this nature is to provide a split in the platen so that the sheet or sheets requiring multiple spacing may be advanced to the exclusion of the others.

The use of a split platen structure has a disadvantage, however, in that it is not possible to use the machine for work requiring sheets wider than the individual sections of the platen.

It is an object 'of the invention, therefore, to provide a means for holding front fed sheets in position to receive single line entries while other entry sheets are fed from line to linefor multiple line entries, without resorting to a split platen structure.

Other objects and features of the invention will be in part obvious and in part particularlypointed out in the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the frontfeed mechanism in open position,

\ Figure 2 is a side elevation showing the frontfeed mechanism in closed position,

Figure 3 is a fragmentary plan view of parts of the paper guiding and holding mechanism,

Figure 4 is a front elevation of parts of the paper guiding and holding mechanism,

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional side View directed to a modified form of the front-feed sheet holding means,

Figure 6 is a schematic front view showing feed-rolls for a right front-fed sheet incapacitated, and showing such sheet immovably held between companion holding elements, while a left front-fed sheet is pressed against the platen for line-feeding movement thereby,

Figure '7 is a fragmentary sectional side view directed to the feature shown in Figure 6, and showing the companion holding elements in their open position, for receiving a front-fed sheet,

Figure 8 is a View similar to Figure '7, but showing the companion holding elements in' sheet holding position,

Figure 9 shows in side elevation one of the lower clipping elements about to be applied to its support on the carriage,

Figure 10 is a plan view of a pair of companion holding elements together with their related parts, and

Figure 11 is a perspective view of rear feedroll as used in the modification of Figure 5.

This invention is a continuation in part=of mycopending application Serial No. 679,722, filed June 27, 1946, now Patent No. 2,536,524, dated January 2, 1951, to which reference may be had.

for a more complete disclosure of the machinefront fed sheets such as S. The sheets are in-' troduced around a cylindrical platen I of the con ventional type.

Feed-rolls I3 1, Figures 2 and '7, bear normally.

upon the rear side of the platen I, below the level of the platen shaft H2, and other feed-rolls I35- bear normally upon the top side of the platen, all to hold a record sheet R in typing position on the platen. Above the feed-rolls I34, and inclined rearwardly, is a sheet supporting table- I36, Figure 2, rigidly fastened between the carriage ends.

and are rolled between said feed-rolls I34 and the platen, forwardly and upwardly, by turning the platen I, the leading end of the sheet beingdirected underneath the top feed rolls I35.

The bottom feed-rolls I3 8, of which there are a series extending along the platen, are each rotatively supported at opposite ends by levers I56, upon a common pivot rod I51 carried on a generally Z shaped supporting web I58 which extends the full length of the carriage and is rigidly carried thereon. Springs I60 urge the individual feed-roll supporting levers I55 toward the platen. A fiat-faced cam-shaft IGI is provided to act, when turned, upon upreaching arms of the levers I56, to displace them forwardly and cast the feed-rolls I34 a small distance away from the platen I. Said shaft IGI is rotatable to throw off the feed-rolls I34 by operation of a suitable finger piece (not shown). The feed-roll supporting levers I56 have tapered tongues I63 reaching forwardly of the feed-rolls I36 and slightly spaced from the platen, such tongues guiding rear-fed sheets such as record sheet R, in a curved path toward the front of the machine. The rear-fed sheets as they emerge at the front of the platen are manually directed rearwardly under the top feed-rolls I35, these rolls, if desired, being temporarily released for the purpose. In practice, a record sheet R ispresented to the machine next The record sheets R are rear-fed to the platen, downwardly in front of said table I36,

to the platen while the previously finished record sheet is still in place, such latter sheet being used to guide the newly introduced sheet around the platen and underneath the rolls I35.

Front-feed table and throat The invention provides for convenient frontfeeding of work sheets, such as said statement" sheets S, down the front side of the platen and thereunder to the rear. Figure 2 shows a statement sheet S in position for typing thereon, pa

per holding means in the form of feed-rolls I68, being shown bearing against the lower front side of the platen 1 to hold such sheet.

I10, preferably of transparent material, bears rearwardly against the statement sheet S, thereby causing the latter to be wrapped in close contact around the front side of the platen 1 at the typing line H, suitably for receiving impressions from the type bars. With the front-feed table I10 in the position shown in Figure 2, the usual type bars I4, Figure 1, can rise freely for typing impressions. As illustrated in Figure l, in order to facilitate removal and insertion of the statement sheets S, feed-rolls it are cast off the platen and the front-feed table I10 is displaced forwardly. It will be seen from Figure 1 that the statement sheet S, in the shown position of the table I19 and the feed-rolls I68, is-fre'ely removable, and that another such sheet can be conveniently and freely inserted down the rear of the table I'Ili into the feed-throat formed between the platen 1 and the cast-off rolls 668.

The transparent front-feed table no is coextensive in length with the platen, and is secur-ed: along its upper margin to a bar i1 4. The bar I1! is carried on opposite ends of the carriageby plates I13 which are pivoted to the adjacent-side walls of the carriage by pivot studs I14 located preferably to render the front-feed table [10' displaceable about an axis that lies parallel to the platen 1 and to the rear and below the platen axis. This provides that during the restoration of the table I10 its lower edge will glide upwardly over the front-fed paper to wrap it in taut contact with the platen.

Said feed-rolls i613 extend in a row along the platen and each is rotatively supported at the opposite endsthereof by arms I15 carried swingably upon a supporting shaft I16. Brackets I18 flank each pair of opposite feed -roll carrying arms I15 and are fastened behind the shaft I16 as at I19, to the rail bar N3 of the carriage, and are fastened forward of said shaft to a carriage-frame-bar' It! which extends parallelito' the platen and spans the space between the carriage end-walls; Said brackets I18 carry the shaft I16? extending therethrough to afford bearing supports for the latter. Springs I11 attached to rearward extensions of the arms I15, and anchored to the adjacent brackets H8 urge said arms I15, and thus the feed-rolls H3, constant- 1y towards the platen 1. The shaft I16: has a fiat surface that carries intermediate each pair of feed-roll carrying arms 15 an element I82. Each' of these elements I32 has opposite, apertured ears I33, Figure 3, to fit the shaft [16 and to turn: therewith, the spaced ears in conjunctionwith the brackets H18 serving to locate the feed-roll arms shaft I16; aforesaid7feed-roll arm extensions, and are normally slightly spaced therefrom to allow goodfeeding contact of the rolls IE8. To release: the

Above the typing line 63. a front-feed guide or table H properly spaced along the: Said elements 82 reach under thefeed-rolls I68, the shaft I16 is given a counterclockwise movement as shown in Figures 1 and 7, so that the elements I82 thereon will engage and move the feed-roll arms I15 to cast off the rolls I68.

The mechanism to open and close the frontfeed throat as-fully described in the parent application No. 6791722 mentioned above will be briefly described herein.

Referring to Figure 1, shaft I16 carries at one end an upstanding arm slotted as at 26 at its upper end. A slide 21 slidable on screws 28 fixed in the carriage end carries a stud 29 on its-forward end, theistud 29 resting in slot 26 of arm=25l Slide=21 is urged rearwardly by a spring 3'0 connected between the slide and a stationary part of. the carriage. Slide 29 may be moved forward to open the throat by a handle (not shown) secured at 3| to the slide or by a power operated bail (not shown) connected to the slide at- 32;

Slide 2.1 is retained in its forward position by a; latch arm 35-pivoted on a stud 3B in the carriage, the latch 35 having a lug 31 which will in; the forward position of slide 21 drop behind a projection 38 of slide 21 to retain the throat open as in: Figure 1. Latch arm 35 has a slot 34- in its rearward end toembrace a fixed stud 38 to limit'the movement of the latch arm. latch may be released automatically at the start of a.- machine cycle by a power-operated bail (not herein shown) connected to a depending arm 48' of the latch 3 5*or manually by a key 4! on the carriage. Key 4| is. fixed to the forward. end

' of; a lever 42 pivoted on a stud 43 on the carriage and urged clockwise by a spring 44 between the lever 42' and the carriage. The rearwardarmoflever 42- underlies an. car 45 bent off of latch:arm .35 to raise'the arm 35 to releasing position upon depression of key 4!.

Slide 2 1 also moves the front feed table I10 to open throat position. A link 58 secured by ascrew 5| to'arm I13 of the table I'I-i! is slidably carried at its rear end on stud 39 and has :1. lug, 52 bentoi? to-rest in front of a stud 53 secured in slide 21. Thus the forward movement of slide 21 will move the front feed table I10 to'open throat'position at the same time that the feed rollers I68; are cast off. A spring 54. connected between. upstanding lugs on the rear ends of link and. slide 2? serves to yieldingly return table I10 to closed throat position when slide 21 is released.

The sheets S which are front-fed down between the platen 1 and feed-rolls I68, see Figure '7, takeawidesweeparound the underside of the platen, rearwardly well-below the tapered tongues I63 of the rear feed-rolls I34. Such wide sweep is given the sheets'by guiding elements I85, see

also Figure 3. situated between the feed-rolls I 68,.

and below which the latter withdraw when released. The said guiding elements are augmented in their function by a paper shelf I86, see

Figure 3, which has only a. slight upward tilt to the rearand which extendsthe full distance between. the opposite carriage ends III. The wide and gradually curved channel provided facilitates introduction of all commonly used weights of paper: without material tendency to buckle; yet

the: bend"- given the work-sheets produces enough friction to cause them to remain in. position. upon introduction. Said paper shelf is fastened at the rear to asquare-bar I 81 fast on: the carriage, and ends at the front in spaced sections I84 having vertically bent tabs-- I840 for securing the sections I84 to the square bar I8I by shouldered screws I88, see Figures 2 and 4. The said guiding elements I85, see Figures 3 and 4, are situated between the gaps I9I formed between the sections I84 and are laterally intermediate the feed-rolls I 68. They, as seen in Figures 2 and 3, are formed at the rear with upwardly and downwardly offset tines I90 to clip onto the paper shelf I86, and at the front they each have a sharp angular bend, downwardly and rearwardly for attachment to the front of the bar I8I by screws I89, as shown also in Figure 4.

The feed-rolls I68 are withdrawn slightly below the guiding elements I85, but because the work-sheets S in being front-fed have a tendency to flex downwardly between said guiding elements I85, they tend to get caught or fouled on the front sections I84 of the paper shelf I86. Moreover, they also tend to contact with the feedrolls I88, the latter of which if contacted obviously offer considerable resistance. Work sheets which are of light weight, and/or notched or punched along the introductory edge, as foraccommodation into binders or files, are particularly subject to the above tendencies, but even straight-cut work sheets when their edges become curled, nicked or torn, as from repeated handling, will tend to be troublesome. Provision is therefore made to assure, in all cases, smooth, substantially resistless guidance of frontfed work-sheets S rearwardly underneath'the platen and onto the paper shelf. Drawing attention especially to Figures 3 and 4, to this end there is accommodated at a circumferentially reduced, intermediate section I681; of each feed-roll I68, a deflector element I92,'each such element having a narrow sheet-deflection shelf I92a positioned close to the platen I when said feed-rolls I 68 are in applied position, but moved an appreciable distance from the platen when the feedrolls are cast off, that is when the carriage is conditioned for front-feeding work-sheets as seen in Figure 1. The deflector shelves I92a move downwardly a lesser distance than the feed-rolls I68, and in fact said shelves I92a will lie slightly above these feed-rolls and will thus guide the paper with some clearance over the rolls. The deflector elements, see Figures 1 to 4, are formed of narrow strips of sheet metal and comprise each a main vertical leaf I93 which at the top has a four-sided cage bent therefrom, in which is accommodated the reduced feed-roll section I68a. A top side of said cage consists-of said deflector shelf I92a, and another side I92b underlies directly the reduced feed-roll section I66a. Each of the deflector elements I92 has a vertical slot in the vertical portion I93 thereof, and the screws I88 which fasten the front-end of the paper-shelf to the bar I8I, are shouldered to provide guides and mount the various deflector elements I92 for vertical sliding movement. To keep said elements I92 in straight position they have each at the bottom-end thereof, a lug I93a piloted in a vertical slot I94a. provided in a plate I94 overlying one of the bent-down tabs I840. of the paper-shelf I86, said plates I94 and tabs I84a being firmly clamped to the bar I8I by the shoulders of said screws I88. Preferably the vertical leaf I93 is slightly bowed to enable the screw I 88 to keep the element I92 frictionally in whatever position it is moved to, and to prevent rattling thereof. In operation, when the feed-rolls I68 are being applied, the reduced sections I68a thereof contact the shelf I92a within said cage to lift the deflectors I92 upwardly to the position final relative positions of the parts being as illustrated in Figure 1, affording smooth guidance to front-fed sheets'over the rolls I68, and without any possibility of the sheet S becoming fouled.

Provision for Zine-feed of one sheet independently 0] others Some methods of keeping records require use of several laterally spaced front-fed sheets only one of which sheets is to be given a line-spacing movement. Where such operation is required, the line-spaceable sheet S usually receives a group of successive entries on successive lines, subsequent to which the quiescent sheet or sheets will receive total or balance entries on a single line with respect to said group of entries, the quiescent sheet then requiring removal. Before this invention it was customary to employ split or sectional platens to take care of this type of requirement. The platens had to be split at many different locations to suit the forms of the individual customers and it was necessary to build these machines to special order, which raised the cost of the machines. The invention eliminates the use of a split platen for such work, and having new special reference to Figures 6 to 10, a front-fed sheet S required to remain stationary is adapted to be gripped between companion clamp elements afforded by the tongues I63 extending forwardly from the feed-rolls I34 and one or more clamp leaves 36I hingedly movable upwardly for clamping action against said tongues. Said clamp leaves are attachable wherever required between the sheet-guiding elements I which underlie the platen, said elements I85 having pintles 362 extending oppositely therefrom at their folded forward ends, and the clamp leaves 35I being formed with socketforming ears 363 for ready attachment to the pintles 362. The rear feed-rolls I34 and their supports I56 are arranged symmetrically behind the front feed-rolls I68 as depicted in Figure 10. The clamp leaves 361 are applied to the pintles along that portion of the platen where a frontfed sheet S is required to be held during linespacing operations as in Figure 6 where they are applied along the space where the right hand sheet S is situated. The clamp leaves 36I di rectly overlie the feed-rolls I 68. Whenever the front-feed device is conditioned for front-feeding, and the feed-rolls I68 are thus released, said leaves, as seen in Figure '7, are out of contact with said tongues I63 and afford a wide-open front-feed path. Whenever the machine is operated for restoration of the front-feed device, as described hereinbefore, the feed-rolls I68 will be urged to rise under tension of the springs I", but wherever clamp leaves 36I overlie such feedrolls, the latter will force the leaves resiliently upwardly into clamping engagement with said tongues I63, for holding the front-fed worksheet independently of the platen, as seen in Figures 6 and 8. Moreover, such feed-rolls I68 as are underlying the clamp leaves 36I, are prevented from rising into contact with the platen, but all the other such rolls will rise as is diagrammatically illustrated in Figure 6, wherein the left sheet S is clamped against the platen and 6 wherein the sheet 6 to the right is held independently thereof. Viewing Figure 6, it will thus be evident that line-spacing motion imparted to the platen will line-space the left front-fed sheet 55 but not the sheet S at the right. The clamping elements 38! have clearances 36%, see Figure 10, for accommodation of the deflector elements I92.

Use of the clamping leaves is not restricted to feeding of one front-fed sheet to the exclusion of another, but, obviously, a front-fed sheet may be held stationary by clamp leaves 361 while a record sheet R may be given movements independently thereof.

It is at times desirable to print data on frontieed sheets closer to the bottom margin thereof than the use of clamping leaves 3%! will permit. The modified form of Figures 5 and 11 may. be used at such times although some decrease in flexibility is thereby introduced. This modified structure will enable front-feed sheets 8 to be gripped directly by the front-feed rollers 88 and consists of a plate '51! secured to the arms I56 forward of feed roller I34. Plate 10 is slightly curved longitudinally and is provided with a pair of upstanding pierced ears H. These ears H are riveted to arms Idfi of the rear feed-rolls I34 so that the plate 59 is clear of the record sheet R and is between the platen 'l and the feed-rolls [68.

A front-fed sheet S will then be firmly gripped between the rolls I68 and the bottom of plate it when the shaft H6 is released prior to machine operation. Such point of contact will be farther forward than when the clamping leaves 361 are used and printing can be done closer to the bottom margin of sheet S.

The foregoing description of a preferred embodiment is illustrative only and is not to be taken as limitin the scope of the following claims for many changes and modifications are possible without departure from the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a business machine, a platen roller, a series of feed-rolls bearing against the underside of the platen, means to support said feed-rolls, comprising arms wherein the feed-rolls turn, said arms being supported at the rear of the rolls and being tapered closely to the platen in front of the feed-rolls, and a. series of sheet-clamping elements engageable with said arms, means for resiliently pressing said clamping elements individually into engagement with said arms, and means operable to effect release of said clamping elements.

2. In a business machine, a platen roller, 2. series of feed-rolls e'ngageable with the frontbottom side of the platen to feed a. Work-sheet when the platen is turned, means resiliently urging said feed-rolls towards the platen, means oppositely operable to cast said feed-rolls an appreciable distance from the platen or to allow said urging means to cast them on, surface presenting means to the rear of the feed-rolls, below the platen and facing away therefrom, means applicable to overlie at least some of said feedrolls, and, when applied, being movable upwardly into and downwardly away from engagement with said surface means, respectively toclamp and release a work-sheet, and means to move said applicable means into and out of contact with said surface presenting means incident to opposite operation of said operable means.

3. In a business machine, a platen roller, feedroll means adapted for cooperation with the platen for holding and line-feeding a work-sheet, a series of feed-rolls arranged at the bottom side of the platen for movement into and out of feeding contact with the platen, stationary surface presenting means to the rear of at least some of said feed-rolls, facing away from the platen, clamping units, and means to render said units readily applicable to overlie and incapacitate the individual feed-rolls and to underlie the surface presenting means, and for movement respectively upwardly and downwardly into sheet-clamping and sheet-releasing relations with said surface presenting means.

4. In a business machine, a platen roller, paper feed means including a first series of feed rolls engageable with the platen roller for holding and line spacing one work sheet, and members supporting said first series of feed-rolls, a second series of feed rolls below said platen roller for engagement therewith to retain and line space a second front-fed work sheet, engaging and disengaging means for said second series of feed rolls and a plurality of detachable clips overlaying certain of said second series of feed rolls and movable thereby into engagement with said supporting members of said first series of feed. rolls to retain a front fed Work sheet against line space movement by said platen.

5. In a business machine, a carriage, a work sheet supporting platen roller in said carriage, line space feed rolls engageable therewith to enable feeding movement of a Work sheet by said platen, throat opening means to move said feed rolls from said platen to permit front insertion of the work sheet, and a plurality of members insertable between said feed rolls and said platen and in the closed position of said throat engaging said feed rolls and a non-rotatable portion of said carriage to form a non-line spacing front feed throat.

WALTER A. ANDERSON. 

